Declaration  of  Independence  by  a  Colonial 
Church  by  Richard  Dillads 


C&e  Hiorarp 

otttic 

Onitiersitp  of  Jl3otti)  Carolina 


Collection  of  Jl5ott§  Catolinfana 

<Snfiotoct)  bt 

3ot>n  §>pcant  ^tll 

of  the  Class  of  1889 


Cp233.C9 
E22d 


MAGAZINE    OF   AMERICAN   HISTORY 


Vol.   XXVIII  DECEMBER,   1892  No.  6 


DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE    BY   A    COLONIAL 

CHURCH 


1     £o.aoU 


A   CONTRIBUTION   TO   THE    HISTORY   OF   NORTH   CAROLINA 

E  DENTON  and  its  environs  was  the  nucleus  of  civilization  for  one 
section  of  the  state  of  North  Carolina  at  a  very  early  date.  St. 
Paul's  church  in  Edenton  is  identified  with  the  history  of  the  colony,  an 
account  of  which  forms  an  interesting  chapter.  The  vestry-books,  dating 
back  to  1 701,  still  In  a  state  of  perfect  preservation,  are  of  uncommon  his- 
toric interest. 

North  Carolina's  most  accurate  historian,  Martin,  in"  referring  to  the 
early  settlement  of  the  state,  says:  "At  this  time  [about  1658]  there 
were  two  points  only  in  which  incipient  English  settlements  could  be  dis- 
cerned, the  one  on  the  northern  shore  of  Albemarle  sound  and  the  streams 
which  flow  into  it,  the  population  of  which  was  very  thin  and  the  greatest 
part  of  it  on  the  north-east  bank  of  Chowan  river  "  ;  the  other  was  the 
settlement  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Wilmington,  of  which  we 
have  nothing  to  say  in  this  paper.  Lawson,  01  ■  first  historian,  whose 
tragic  fate  with  the  Indians  is  more  than  a  counterpart  of  the  romantic 
adventures  of  Captain  John  Smith,  testifies  to  the  same  fact.  The  thick- 
est part  of  this  settlement  first  received  the  name  of  "  Chowon  precinct," 
and  is  subsequently  alluded  to  as  the  "  towne  in  Queen  Ann's  Creek," 
the  "towne  in  Mattercomock  Creek,"  and  "Port  of  Roanoke."  Upon 
the  death  of  the  royal  governor,  Edenton,  in  1722,  it  was  dignified  by 
the  name  of  Edenton  in  his  honor.  Bancroft  says  :  "  Here  was  a  colony 
of  men  from  civilized  life,  scattered  among  the  forests,  resting  on  the 
bosom  of  nature.  With  absolute  freedom  of  conscience,  benevolent  reason 
was  the  simple  rule  of  their  conduct.  Are  there  any,"  says  he,  "  who 
doubt  man's  capacity  for  self-government,  let  them  study  the  history  of 
North  Carolina." 

This  colony  attracted  the  attention  of  Sir  Wm.  Berkeley,  of  Virginia, 
who  appointed,  in  1663,  William  Drummond,  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  then 
residing  in  Virginia,  their  first  governor. 

Vol.  XXVIII. -No.  6.-26 


402         DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE   BY   A   COLONIAL   CHURCH 

I  wish  the  reader  to  note,  and  history  confirms  the  fact,  that  resistance 
to  British  authority  existed  here  nearly  one  hundred  years  before  the 
Revolution,  for  the  many  early  disturbances  and  frequent  rebellions  were 
nothing  more  than  a  resistance  to  "  illegal  and  usurped  authority,"  and  a 
contest  for  religious  freedom.  These  were  long  shadows  cast  before  the 
mighty  revolution. 

This  little  colony  might,  therefore,  be  styled  the  embryo  republic,  and 
the  birthplace  of  the  American  Revolution.  In  the  history  of  all  govern- 
ments the  oppressed  are  long  tolerant  of  their  oppressors  before  they 
break  their  chains,  and  revolution  was  a  progressive  development.  It 
took  nearly  five  hundred  years  to  free  France  of  its  despots.  Brazil,  I 
believe,  presents  a  singular  exception,  when,  as  if  by  magic,  the  empire 
ceased  to  exist,  and  a  virgin  republic  sprang  full-panoplied  upon  the  scene. 

The  same  liberty-loving  spirit  which  characterized  the  people  of  this 
colony  crystallized  in  subsequent  years  in  the  form  of  the  "  St.  Paul's 
Declaration  of  Independence." 

Pursuant  to  an  act  of  assembly,  the  vestry  of  St.  Paul's  met  at  the  house 
of  Thomas  Gilliam,  December  15,  1701.  The  Hon.  Henderson  Walker, 
then  governor,  Colonel  Wm.  Wilkinson,  and  Captain  Thomas  Lewton 
were  appointed  wardens  for  a  year,  and  instructed  "  to  agree  with  a  work- 
man for  building  a  church  twenty-five  feet  long,  posts  in  the  ground,  and 
held  to  the  collar  beams."  It  was  built  upon  an  acre  of  land  given  by 
Edvvard  Smethwick,  and  was  finished  in  1702.  This  was  the  first  church 
ever  built  upon  North  Carolina  soil.  The  vestries  of  those  old  days,  when 
church  and  state  were  united,  possessed  considerable  civil  authority,  and 
were  about  equal  in  power  to  our  county  commissioners.  They  were 
empowered  to  collect  tithes,  provide  standards  of  weights  and  measures, 
etc. 

In  1704  Dr.  John  Blair  presented  himself  to  the  vestry  as  a  minister, 
and  was  received  by  them  at  a  salary  of  thirty  pounds  per  year.  The  ser- 
vices had  previously  been  conducted  by  readers  employed  at  a  small  salary, 
whose  only  qualifications  were  that  they  should  promise  to  live  sober  and 
exemplary  lives  during  their  period  of  service.  The  temporary  church 
lasted  but  a  few  years,  for  in  1709  the  Rev.  Mr.  Adams,  who  came  here 
under  the  auspices  of  the  "  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel,"  wrote: 
"They  built  a  church  some  years  ago,  but  it  is  small  and  very  sorrily  put 
together,  and  therefore  I  prevailed  with  them  to  build  another,  which  they 
went  about  when  I  came  away."  The  dimensions  of  the  new  church  were 
forty  feet  long,  twenty-four  feet  wide,  and  fourteen  feet  high.  In  17 14, 
according  to  the  records,  this  church  was  still  unfinished,  and  it  was  either 


DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE   BY    A   COLONIAL   CHURCH        403 


ST.    PAULS   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH,    EDENTON,    NORTH    CAROLINA—  COMPLETED    IN    1745. 


never  finished  at  all  or  soon  fell  into  decay,  for  Governor  Boyd  of  Virginia, 
who  was  here  in  1728  on  the  commission  to  run  the  boundary  line  between 
North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  says  that  Mr.  Fontaine,  the  minister  who 
accompanied  him,  "  preached  in  the  court-house  for  want  of  a  consecrated 
place  of  worship."  It  was  not  until  1729  that  the  initial  step  was  taken 
towards  building  the  present  brick  edifice.  In  April,  1729,  Governor  Everard 
wrote  the  following  letter  to  the  bishop  of  London  in  regard  to  the  church  : 
"  'Tis  with  no  small  concern  I  send  you  this,  to  inform  you  that  our  church 
is  not  built  now,  nor  is  it  like  to  be  gone  about ;  for  those  men  that  were 
appointed  commissioners  for  the  building  it  have  six  hundred  pounds  in 
their  hands,  and  are  now  the  only  opposers  of  building  one.  I  was,  in  order 
to  laying  the  foundation,  chose  church-warden  with  one  Mr.  Mosely.  We 
had  several  meetings  to  consult  about  building  it,  but  could  not  agree, 
being  always  hindered  by  our  secretary,  one  Mr.  John  Lovick,  a  man  of  no 
religion,  fears  not  God  nor  man,  believes  neither,  seldom  seen  at  any  place 
of  divine  worship,  his  money  is  his  God,  ridicules  all  goodness.  While 
such  a  man  is  in  power  no  good  can  be  expected."     In  1736  a  tax  was  laid 


404        DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE   BY   A   COLONIAL   CHURCH 

for  building  this  church,  and  in  1738  the  work  was  actually  begun  ;  it  was 
not,  however,  finished  until  1745.  About  the  latter  part  of  that  century 
the  church  fell  into  decay,  and  was  restored  to  its  present  beauty  largely 
through  the  munificence  of  Mr.  Josiah  Collins,  and  the  stained-glass  win- 
dow over  the  chancel  memorializes  this  act  of  generosity. 

Nine  ministers  officiated  here  up  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  the 
last  one  being  the  Rev.  Daniel  Earle,  familiar  to  tradition  and  history  as 
Parson  Earle.  The  early  ministers  were  in  some  instances  unworthy  of 
their  trusts:  being  unwilling  to  endure  the  privations  and  inconveniences 
of  a  new  and  unsettled  country,  they  soon  abandoned  their  flocks  and 
returned  to  England  ;  but  Parson  Earle  was  a  man  of  such  strong  points  of 
character,  and  was  so  typical  of  the  parsons  of  those  old  days,  that  it  is 
interesting  to  study  his  life  and  character.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  has 
painted  just  such  an  one  in  his  "  Wonderful  One-hoss  Shay."  We  can 
almost  see  him  now  as  he  passes  in  his  old  stock  gig 

"  Drawn  by  a  rat-tailed,  ewe-necked  bay." 

He  was  born  near  the  town  of  Bandon,  province  of  Munster,  Ireland, 
and  was  the  younger  son  of  an  Irish  nobleman.  His  family  was  one  of 
prominence  and  distinction  ;  one  of  his  ancestors  was  General  Earle,  Lord 
Chief  Justice  of  Ireland  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  In  early  life  he  was 
an  officer  in  the  British  army,  but  his  marriage  with  the  daughter  of  a  high 
church  official  changed  the  whole  course  of  his  life,  and  he  soon  resigned 
his  commission  to  take  holy  orders.  The  date  of  his  emigration  to  America 
is  not  known,  but  he  was  first  sent  by  the  Bishop  of  London  to  that  part 
of  Virginia  now  called  Gloucester  county.  In  1757  he  came  to  the  Albe- 
marle section  to  act  as  curate  for  the  aged  Rev.  Mr.  Hall,  the  rector  of  St. 
Paul's,  who  was  then  in  feeble  health,  and  in  1760  was  made  full  rector. 
His  charge  not  only  included  Edenton,  but  many  mission  stations  scattered 
through  the  section  now  known  as  Chowan,  Hertford,  and  Gates  counties. 
His  wife,  who  died  before  his  departure  for  America,  left  him  two  little 
daughters  ;  these  he  committed  to  the  care  of  friends  in  England,  to  be 
reared  and  educated.  When  he  came  to  this  section  he  settled  on  Chowan 
river,  and  named  his  residence  Bandon,  after  his  native  town.  He  then 
married  a  Welsh  lad)',  the  widow  Charity  Jones,  of  Smithfield,  Virginia,  by 
whom  he  had  no  issue.  ''  Parson  Earle  "  was  not  only  a  faithful  minister, 
but  grew  to  be  a  successful  farmer  and  fisherman  :  he  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers in  the  herring-fishing  in  this  country.  About  this  time  his  church  in 
Edenton  became  somewhat  dilapidated,  and  the  worshipers  few  in  num- 
ber.    One  Sunday  morning,  tradition  has  it,  when  the  parson  arrived  in 


DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE   BY   A   COLONIAL   CHURCH        405 


COURT-HOUSE   AT  EDENTOK  — BUILT  IN    1731. 
[Tkis  st'as  at  one  time  the  colonial  capital  oj  North  Carolina.'] 

Edenton  to  preach  to  the  faithful,  he  was  shocked  to  find  placarded  upon 
the  church  door  the  following  doggerel  rhyme: 

"A  half-built  church 

And  a  broken-down  steeple, 
A  herring-catching  parson 
And  a  dam  set  of  people." 

He  was  ever  afterwards  styled  the  "herring-catching  parson. 

He  was  an  active  sympathizer  in  the  struggle  for  independence,  and 
was  on  that  account  debarred  from  preaching  in  his  church  in  Edenton 
during  the  Revolution. 

Several  attempts  were  made  by  the  British  to  capture  him.     Upon  one 


406        DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE   BY   A   COLONIAL   CHURCH 

occasion  he  was  informed  by  a  messenger  that  troops  were  coming  from 
Edenton  to  take  him  prisoner.  He  immediately  buried  his  silver  and 
treasures  in  his  cellar,  and  dispatched  a  servant  to  his  plowmen  in  the 
fields  to  fly  to  the  woods  and  secrete  the  horses  ;  but  his  messenger  was  too 
late,  and  four  of  his  best  horses  were  captured,  the  parson  himself  barely 
escaping.  He  was  unjustly  accused  by  some  of  being  a  tory,  because  he 
did  not  sever  all  connection  with  the  Church  of  England,  and  organize  an 
independent  church  ;  but  he  held  that  the  church  was  of  divine  origin,  that 
he  was  a  simple  priest,  and  that  the  bishop  of  London  alone  had  that  power. 
He  baptized  all  the  children  of  this  section,  and  was  the  welcome  guest 
of  every  fireside.  He  was  a  man  of  high  educational  attainments,  and 
possessed  great  wit  and  humor,  united  with  the  kindest  of  hearts.  He 
was 

"  True  to  his  country,  bounteous  to  the  poor  ; 
In  all  things  temperate,  sober,  just,  and  pure." 

The  two  daughters  whom  he  had  left  in  England  came  to  America 
when  they  were  grown.  One  of  them  married  Hon.  Charles  Johnson  ;  the 
other,  Miss  Nancy,  never  married,  but  assisted  her  father  in  a  school  of  high 
order  which  he  established  at  Bandon.  He  died  in  1790,  and  was  buried 
near  the  site  of  his  old  home.  The  modest  slab  which  once  marked  his 
resting-place  has  long  since  been  covered  by  the  drifting  sands,  and  the 
tall  pines  which  surround  this  lonely  spot  sigh  to  every  passing  breeze  their 
sad  requiem  for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  His  church  is  the  admiration  of 
the  stranger.  Half-clad  in  ivy,  time's  green  uniform,  it  stands  like  a  silent 
sentinel,  and  as  the  sun  traces  the  shadow  of  its  tall  spire  upon  the  sod,  it 
points  almost  every  hour,  like  the  hand  of  a  huge  dial,  to  the  grave  of  some 
distinguished  citizen.  Its  gilded  cross,  glittering  and  shimmering  against 
the  evening  sky,  suggests  the  vision  of  the  Emperor  Constantine. 

The  original  bell  of  this  church  was  taken  down  in  response  to  Beaure- 
gard's call  to  melt  the  bells  of  the  confederacy  and  cast  them  into  can- 
non, which  inspired  the  beautiful  war-lyric,  "  Melt  the  bells."  It  helped 
to  form  the  "  Edenton  Bell  Battery,"  which  did  efficient  service,  and  was 
surrendered  to  Sherman  at  Greensborough.  The  silver  chalice  and  paten 
now  in  use  bears  this  incription  :  "The  gift  of  Col.  Edward  Mosely  for 
ye  use  of  ye  Church  in  Edenton  in  the  year  of  1725." 

The  vestry  of  St.  Paul's,  imbued  with  the  same  spirit  of  liberty  which 
had  inoculated  the  whole  country,  gave  vent  to  the  following  blazing  dec- 
laration of  independence : 

'•  We  the  subscribers  professing  our  allegiance  to  the  king  and  acknowl- 


DECLARATION   OF  INDEPENDENCE   BY   A   COLONIAL  CHURCH        407 

edging  the  constitutional  executive  power  of  government,  do  solemnly 
profess,  testify,  and  declare  that  we  do  absolutely  believe  that  neither  the 
parliament  of  Great  Britain  nor  any  member  or  constituent  branch  thereof 
have  a  right  to  impose  taxes  upon  these  colonies  to  regulate  the  internal 
policy  thereof,  and  that  all  attempts  by  fraud  or  force  to  establish  and 
exercise  such  claims  and  powers  are  violations  of  tiie  peace  and  security  of 
the  people  and  ought  to  be  resisted  to  the  utmost,  and  that  the  people  of 


HOUSE    ERECTED    IN    I758    BY   THE    NOTORIOUS    FRANCIS   CORBIN. 

[Corbin  was  Lord  Granville's  land  agent  in  America  forhis  betrothed,  Jean  Junds,  both  of  whom  died  before 
their  marriage  could  be  consummated.  The  property  was  sold  by  Corbin's  brother  and  heir,  Edmund  Corbin,  to 
Dr.  Samuel  Dickinson,  and  is  still  occupied  by  his  descendants.  The  portrait  of  Mrs.  Penelope  Barker,  of  Revolu- 
tionary Tea-party  fame,  hangs  in  one  of  its  apartments.  The  assembly  of  North  Carol  ina  is  said  to  have  met  here 
formerly.    The  initials  F.  C  and  date  1758  are  still  plainly  visible  upon  the  gable-post.] 

this  province  singly  and  collectively  are  bound  by  the  acts  and  resolutions 
of  the  continental  and  provincial  congresses,  because  in  both  they  are 
freely  represented  by  persons  chosen  by  themselves,  and  we  do  solemnly 
and  sincerely  promise  and  engage  under  the  sanction  of  virtue,  honor  and 
the  sacred  love  of  liberty  and  our  country  to  maintain  and  support  all 
and  every  the  acts,  resolutions  and  regulations  of  the  said  continental  and 
provincial  congresses  to  the  utmost  of  our  power  and  ability. 


408 


DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE   BY   A   COLONIAL   CHURCH 


In  testimony  whereof  we  have  hereto  set  our  hands  this  19th  of  June 
1776. 

rlchd.  hoskins.  thos.  bonner. 

David  Rice.  Wm.  Boyd. 

Aaron  Hill.  Thos.  Benbury. 

Pelatiah  Walton.  Jacob  Hunter. 

Wm.  Hinton.  John  Beasley. 

William  Bennett. 

William  Roberts." 


Aid  '  $*&4*>nJ 


'firt^ti 


wi#rn  cnj^tfta 


FAC-SIMILE    OF  SIGNATURES   FROM    THE   ORIGINAL   DOCUMENT. 

Here  is  a  declaration  of  independence  of  which  little  is  known  beyond 
our  borders.  It  is  remarkable  not  only  for  its  precedence  of  the  national 
by  fifteen  days,  but  for  the  purity  of  its  patriotism  and  its  utterance  of 
the  sacred  truths  of  liberty. 

Bold  indeed  were  they,  when  royal  authority  was  supreme  and  when 
the  church  received  its  maintenance  almost  entirely  from  the  crown,  to 
make  such  declarations.  It  was  treason,  and  treason  was  death.  The 
preamble,  "  professing  our  allegiance  to  the  king,"  reads  like  bitter  mockery. 
The  very  souls  of  the  signers  seemed  to  exult  themselves  in  the  roundness 
of  the  sentences  and  the  flourishes  of  their  pens.  It  would  be  interest- 
ing to  know  who  was  the  author  of  those  patriotic  words, — who  the  Jeffer- 
son of  that  occasion.  I  am  inclined,  from  what  is  known  traditionally,  to 
accredit  its  authorship  to  Richard  Hoskins,  whose  name  appears  first. 
The  spirit  of   liberty  seemed  to  have  taken  entire  hold  upon  his  family. 


DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE    BY   A   COLONIAL   CHURCH 


409 


His  wife,  as  I  have  written  elsewhere,  was  a  member  of  the  "  Historic  Tea- 
party  of  Edenton,  1774,"  and  signed  the  noted  protest  against  tea-drinking. 
Richard  Hoskins  was  a  zealous  and  fearless  patriot :  joining  the  American 
army  at  the  first  sound  to  arms,  he  served  with  signal  bravery  and  courage 
until  its  close.  During  his  absence  his  wife  managed  his  entire  farming 
interest  with  prudence  and  profit,  and  proved  always  to  him  an  efficient 
helpmate.     When  they  were  first  married  they  came  down  the  Roanoke 


"  HAVES       :     HUME   OK    GOVEKNO.<   SAMUEL  JOHNSTON  — BUILT 
NOW   THE   RESIDENCE  OF  MR.   JOHN   G.    WOOD. 


river  in  an  open  boat,  crossed  the  Albemarle  sound,  and  landed  at  Eden- 
ton. He  then  took  his  bride  behind  his  own  horse  to  his  farm  by  a  bridle 
path,  there  being  no  public  roads  in  that  direction  then.  Her  wedding 
dress  she  spun  and  wove  from  flax  grown  upon  her  father's  farm.  So 
delicate  and  smooth  was  the  warp,  that  when  she  was  preparing  it  for  the 
loom  she  passed  the  entire  chain  through  her  ring.  The  art  of  home  pro- 
duction probably  reached  its  greatest  perfection  about  this  time.  All  connec- 
tion with  the  mother  country  was  severed,  and  the  colonists  thrown  upon 


410        DECLARATION   OF  INDEPENDENCE   BY  A  COLONIAL  CHURCH 

their  own  resources.  It  was  indispensable  to  every  lady's  education  that 
she  should  know  how  to  spin,  sew,  and  weave.  The  spider-like  fineness 
of  their  yarns,  the  exquisite  beauty  of  their  needlework,  and  the  lacy  filmi- 
nessof  the  woven  fabrics  which  their  nimble  fingers  wrought,  are  the  envy 
and  admiration  of  the  present  age. 

Edward  Everett,  the  great  statesman,  said  upon  one  occasion  that 
"  national  recollection  was  the  foundation  of  national  character."  It 
seems  proper  that  the  celebration  of  national  anniversaries  should  be  per- 
petuated, and  that  the  great  men  and  great  events  of  our  country  should 
ever  be  kept  before  the  youth  of  our  land,  not  only  to  develop  patriotism 
and  stimulate  example,  but  to  bring  about  a  love  for  the  study  of  our  own 
history.  It  is  written  of  the  warlike  and  unlettered  Spartans,  that  before 
going  into  battle  they  offered  sacrifices  and  poured  out  libations  to  the 
Muses,  that  their  valiant  and  virtuous  deeds  should  not  be  unsung  and 
unrecorded.  We  are  too  careless  of  our  state  history  :  already  skeptical 
writers  are  beginning  to  doubt  the  authenticity  of  the  Mecklenburg 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

Our  colonial  records  are  a  vast  mine  of  historic  wealth,  but  without  an 
index  are  a  chaos  of  undigested  material  which  nobody  can  use,  and  on 
that  account  are  thoroughly  disappointing  to  all  investigators  and  students 
of  our  state  history.  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  have  both  made  valu- 
able indexes  for  their  colonial  records,  and  it  seems  plainly  the  duty  of 
the  press  of  North  Carolina  to  urge  immediate  legislative  action  upon 
the  subject.  This  is  the  age  of  the  revival  of  history,  and  unless  some 
steps  are  taken  to  stimulate  interest  in  the  study  of  our  state  history 
oblivion  must  be  our  fate. 


Edenton,  North  Carolina. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


000340 


4511 


FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


Form  No.  A-368,  Rev.  8/95 


